


Snow Day

by GooseWhiskers



Series: Hey Look, Blue Soup! [10]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Companionable Snark, Dogmeat is a great wingman, Established Relationship, F/M, Feel-good, Fluff, Post Nuclear Option, Post-Canon, Snow Shenanigans, That's it that's the plot, they are very in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 03:50:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20500418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GooseWhiskers/pseuds/GooseWhiskers
Summary: Snow comes to Boston, and Nate takes Piper on an all-day winter date to enjoy the weather!Fluff and shenanigans ensue.





	Snow Day

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been playing with this on and off all summer whenever I needed some comfort. It’s my happy feel good fic xD

Snow had come. A good one, too. Not black or icy or brittle. Almost an entire foot of pure unadulterated white powder. Rusted vibrancy muted, Boston’s ruins looked especially skeletal in their fitted pale coat. A solemn beauty had descended, worth a moment of reverential admiration. 

Nate woke to the surprise first, blinking the weariness from his eyes. Initially the blinding reflection perplexed him. Tilting his head up, he peered at the plaster of white against the broken apartment window across the room - and _then_, he could contain his excitement not even remotely. Dogmeat lifted his head inquiringly as Nate stirred. 

Piper still slept curled against Nate’s torso, but not for long. He nudged her urgently. “Hey-” 

Piper let out a low ‘humm?’ of half-asleep contentment. 

With a soft smirk, Nate brushed her hair back and kissed her temple. “Sunshine, get a look at this.”

Bleary-eyed, she smiled drowsily and then twisted to get a glimpse of whatever was so interesting. Her brow furrowed with uncertainty, “...What is it?”

“Snow!” he shout-whispered. “A lot of it.” His fingers danced with excitement.

“...Y-_eah?_ It’s December, Blue.” 

Nate was already extracting himself from the bedroll, disentangling from the sheets so hastily it exposed Piper too. She let out a startled hiss at the sudden cold, jerking the blankets back, “_Jesus!_” 

“Sorry,” he replied noncommittally, tugging his shirt on. Halfway through he realized he’d misaligned the buttons, decided it was too much work to go back, and continued a lopsided pass at dressing. Nate didn’t even bother fastening his vest and forewent suspenders entirely. If his black coat hadn’t been laying at his feet, he’d probably have left that behind, too.

Piper watched in inquisitive perplexity, laughing a little at the sloppiness with which he tied his shoes. “Take it easy there, Dollface. You’ll throw out a hip at a pace like that.”

“Totally worth it.” He quipped back, practically bouncing to his feet and walking to the door, at a faster pace than he followed her to the bedroom most nights.

Holding the blanket tight, Piper shifted to watch his progress and propped herself up by the elbows. She quirked a lip, chuckling with quiet skepticism. “Wait. You’re going _out?_”

“Well, _yeah. _That powder’s not getting any whiter.” He glanced back at her with a winning smile, looking every bit the 12-year old. “Come on, Scribbles! I bet we could build a lifesize snow-deathclaw in a pack like this.”

Unsure whether to laugh out of endearment or disbelief, she watched from the appealing comfort of their bedroll. “Mmmh that’s real tempting and all, Blue. But ah - I think I’m good where I’m at. I like my digits better when they aren’t freezing off.” 

He gave her a puppyish pout. “I expected better of you. I really did.”

“... You _sure_ you don’t want to stay in here with me?” Her smirk implied not-so-subtle mischief, “Where it’s _warm?_”

“And miss the first decent snow we’ve had all winter? Not a chance!”

He was out the door before she could say another word, Dogmeat hot on his heels. She watched the rusty hinges as they creaked after Nate’s exit, then rolled onto her back with a huff and a smile that hinted at laughter.

Nate hacked out into the virgin powder with a fervor, and if he was bothered by the cold he showed no sign of it. Flakes were still meandering down from the pale grey sky. He paused long enough to catch a few on his tongue, before kicking up a flurry of soft white and writing out a trail of nonsense through the ruined street, humming something vaguely reminiscent of “White Christmas.” 

For a moment the world was pure, and his motivations could be tied to nothing but the impulse of the present blessings.

Barking after him, Dogmeat pranced in tandem with Nate’s ‘dance’, tail wagging a mile a minute. Soon his fur was ticked white from paw to muzzle. Nate wore a crown of luminant crystals, too.

“Here, boy!” He cooed, kneeling. Dogmeat barrelled into him, sending them both into the snowbank with a muffled crunch. Nate’s cheeks stung with cold following Dogmeat’s fervent licking. “Okay! Easy there, _easy!_ Oo_of!_” Dogmeat’s clumsy paws prodded Nate’s gut. “Gettoff me y’big lug.”

Dogmeat growled mildly as he was pushed off and ducked into a play-bow. 

“You’re getting fat.”

He whined, tail slowing a bit and flattening his ears.

“It’s the hard truth, bud. Sorry. Any more weight and you’re liable to start getting mistaken for a mole rat. I probably won’t even be able to lift you, wouldn’t that be a tragedy?”

Grumbling, Dogmeat came forward to nuzzle Nate again.

Nate chuckled, “Yes. I still love you.”

A giggle turned his head. Piper had emerged from their hideaway and now stood in the sunlight on the sidewalk. She’d tugged her jacket on tight, and smiled warmly at the scene. “You’re like a kid that just woke up to Christmas.” She teased. 

Grinning widely at her approach, Nate staggered to his feet and brushed the powder off his coat as Dogmeat skipped over to greet her. “Never waste a good snow, that’s my philosophy.”

“Very astute.” She quipped back, crouching to scratch Dogmeat behind the ears and pitching back with a ‘psh’ as he aimed a lick at her mouth. “I’ll be sure to include that inscrutable wisdom in your biography.”

They met halfway to embrace. Nate scrunched his nose against her bright red one and received a light peck on the lips in return. Piper’s cheeks looked especially flushed in the winter air. 

“I was thinking…” He smiled, “Why don’t we take a day for ourselves? It’s been too long since our last proper date. ”

She quirked a brow, “_The _General Nathaniel Ronan - indulging in a vacation? _What_ is this world coming to?”

“I know.” He scoffed, running a hand through his hair as if genuinely embarrassed. “Bu-_ut…”_ Nate glanced at the wonderland around them. “A snow _deathclaw._ Piper. How cool would that be?”

“Just when I think I’ve got you figured out.” She laughed. 

“Is that a yes?”

“Y’already sent word to the Castle, aren’t they expecting us?”

“We’d be heading their way… just - taking the scenic route. C’mon, Scribbles. The first snow is sacred.” He smiled softly, blue eyes so painfully affectionate she felt her heart literally stammer in response. It was the second time he’d called her Scribbles. 

Last winter their lives had been so different. The Institute was gone, now. The Commonwealth was healing. Even a few short months ago, she’d wondered if Blue would ever hum a tune again. Now, each day on the road she looked forward to the sound of his music lifting off the winter breeze. All were stark reminders of how often, and how much things could change. Sometimes in an instant. Stolen moments? They meant something. “You’re right. It would be a crime to waste an opportunity like that.”

Nate lifted a gentle hand to her cheek and brushed her lips with his thumb, “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

She snickered, goosebumps spreading across her arms - and not from the cold. Nate’s fingers drifted down to entwine with her own, and when he tugged her to follow she didn’t hesitate. 

* * *

“Where are we even _going?_” She laughed finally, as Nate drug her under snow-laden brush and over crumbling old stone walls. 

“Are you asking me to ruin the surprise?” He raised a low-hanging limb for her to walk beneath. 

“I dunno. Is it a good surprise?”

Nate stopped and nodded self-seriously. “Only the very best for you, _Darling_.”

They managed half second of mock sobriety before another fit of giggling took them. 

With a soft smirk, Piper sauntered ahead, looking up at the glasslike glitter of ice on the branches above. “...Can’t remember the last time I saw-”

_SHF-FLT!_

A clump of white powder showered across the back of her head and Piper spun, face awash with disbelief. 

Nate’s hands were conspicuously concealed behind his back, his own expression doing its best to mimic her surprise. “Uh - careful, Scribbles. Heavy snow like this is likely to fall off the trees. You, uh-” He nearly lost his composure, “You might get doused.”

Narrowing her eyes, Piper pretended to fall for the ruse. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She waited long enough for him to dismiss the threat of retaliation, which was hard. Then she rushed up from behind, yanking down his coat collar and shoving a handful of ice and snow down his back. 

Nate jolted backward with a high-pitched yelp which turned into a laugh halfway through, whirling on her and giving chase as she darted away. “You rascal!” His eyes were wide with shock at the sudden cold, and brimming with warm amusement. 

“What can I say, Blue, you set yourself up for- a-_AH!_” His hands closed around her waist. Dogmeat sprang past the fray with an eager bark, clipping their legs and sending them tumbling into the snowbank. 

Shrieking with laughter, Piper wrestled Nate through the deep firn. She managed to roll him onto his back, showering both in white powder. He stole her hat. She threw more snow in his face.

At some point in the tussle, her lips found his and entirely new contest emerged. Their infectious laughter morphed into quiet, increasingly desperate inhales until Piper forgot how to breathe and Nate’s head floated back against the ground with eyes closed in revelry.

“That’s not fair.” He panted, hot breath steaming the air between them. 

“If you wanted _fair _you shouldn’t have taken my hat.” She teased, snatching it back from his loose hand and shaking the powder off over him. 

Her chest ached deep inside, hungry for more of him. _Starving._ But there was a rhythm to their foreplay. She enjoyed the game too much to hurry it. 

Dogmeat chose that moment to interfere again, slobbering over both of them with rampant affection until they were forced to their feet. 

Tugging at Nate’s coat, Piper pressed against him and savored the feeling of their proximity. A bitterly cold wind whistled through the ice-laden trees. She barely felt it. Nate ran his fingers through her hair, eliciting a shiver. 

“I love you.” He whispered, warming her ear. 

Even now, hearing such simple conviction in his voice was like being lifted off her feet and thrown into a clear, summer sky. She nosed at his neck with a quiet smile, “Love you, too.” 

It was still hard to believe the fortune they’d stumbled across. One choice made differently, one mistake come too soon, a single accident omitted - from any number of people… They might never have met. It was something rare. Rarer than a green spring. She’d never believed in fate, but loving Blue was enough to make her wonder sometimes.

Snickering, Nate gave her a skeptical once-over. “Piper, I don’t know how to tell you this, but I think you’ve gone prematurely grey.” He ran another hand through her black hair, dislodging the mass of snow clumped over it. 

“Ah, you’re looking a bit frosty yourself, Dollface.” She quipped playfully, ruffling his messy charcoal mop, “Folks’ll think we’re a pair of old timers. Heh, maybe we can finally convince Myrna to give you that senior discount.”

Suddenly his expression shifted. The most peculiar look washed over her lover. As though the world had tilted on its axis and left him off-balance. 

“Blue?”

“I… _ha_,” Nate shook himself free of the abstraction. He still looked dizzy, but answered clearly, “You’re beautiful, you know that…? Wouldn’t mind seeing grey in that hair for real, someday.”

Piper scoffed. “Well, hopefully not anytime _soon._” But she understood his meaning, and flushed red enough to rival her coat leather. “C’mon, weren’t you supposed to be wooing me with some secret utopia out here?”

“Ah, yes. _Wooing._ Right this way.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Feedback is always welcome! c: 
> 
> I have a couple more chapters in progress, but even though they’re chronological they can each sort of stand on their own AND I mostly write on this when I want to relax SO, no posting schedule! Just every once in a while continuing shenanigans might appear here xD Feel free to subscribe for the most timely updates!
> 
> Check out the Nate Ronan tag on my [tumblr](https://lookbluesoup.tumblr.com/tagged/nate-ronan) for doodles, character blurbs, and other fallout stuff!


End file.
